Life as We Know It
by fayetonic
Summary: Dawn and Dana are in Egypt. Why? Ask the Immortal. Movie Fic-a-thon for Demona at TtH.


Title: Life as We Know It

Author: fayetonic

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or The Mummy. They belong to their respective owners.

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Season Seven Buffy, Season Five Angel, Mummy

Authors Note: To Demona, I hope that you like. Sorry that it's not rated R or NC-17. This plotbunny just hit me. I'm sorry if it isn't that dark. I think it's pretty angsty, kind of. I do hope you like. If not, my apologies.

This is unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine.

4) Character You Want Used in Fic (BtVS/AtS only) Dawn

5) Max Rating You Want to Read

NC-17/R (whatever the author is feeling is fine)

6) The emotion you want the fic to convey.

Angst - Dark Fic

Life after the fight with the First Evil was supposed to end in a "happily ever after," however it was anything but. Buffy, Dawn, and the others traveled the world searching for the newly activated Slayers and finally settled down in England to rebuild the Watcher's Council. Sure, it was fun for a while, being in a new country with exotic places to see, but eventually the excitement faded leaving boredom in its place. One the Watcher's Council was stable, Giles (now the new head) had received reports of large groups of vampires prowling around the streets of Rome. Buffy immediately volunteered to go with Dawn reluctantly following.

They boarded a plane to Italy making a short stop in France to help Xander and Faith to deal with a master Vampire. Then they were on their way, for a new start, a new life.

Rome was nice with all the Italian food and friendly people, but Dawn missed Sunnydale. She missed the Bronze, and sleeping over Janice's house. She missed the after-school trips to Spike's crypt, and lying in her bed in her room writing in her diary. Most of all, Dawn missed visiting her Mom and Tara. When Sunnydale sunk into that hole, nothing was left but a giant crater. All of the graves were gone, and Dawn had only one slightly worn picture of her Mom.

Sometimes, late at night when Buffy was out partying with her new boyfriend, Dawn likes to climb the stairwell up to the roof and watches the sky. At those times, she remembers the good times with her family, mainly her Mom and Buffy, and the sleepovers with Tara. The good memories lead to the bad memories and then the bad memories lead to her mood.

Dawn's life was a boring endless cycle. Get up, eat breakfast, watch Buffy and her boyfriend make goo-goo eyes at each other, bicker with Andrew, go to school, be ignored by the "look-at-me, I'm so cool that I can't speak English" Italian teens. It was pathetic really.

Then Dana came. Dana was the psychotic slayer that hacked off Spike's arms and was abused in more ways then one. Dawn found a companion in Dana, and with help Dana was becoming more civilized day by day.

Then Buffy's boyfriend had to go all evil and kidnap the two. It turned out; the only reason why the Immortal wanted Buffy was for Dawn. He wanted to use the powers of the Key to resurrect some evil Mummy and rule the world. Desperate much? It was the Glory fiasco all over again. Except this time, Buffy didn't die.

"It must be Tuesday." Dawn muttered, yanking on the chains that bound her wrists.

Dawn winced at the pain that emitted from her ribs. Look like in the struggle to get away, Mr. Immortal broke a few. Dawn looked at Dana but found she was still unconscious.

"Really?" answered the Immortal, with a smirk on his lips. "Curious, how do you know that the day is Tuesday?"

Dawn remained silent but glared at her captor.

"You've been unconscious for several days," he added.

Dawn's mouth opened to shout out a couple of curses that would have made Spike blush, but stopped. Dana had woken that moment and was screaming in a foreign language.

Now that Buffy's boyfriend's attention was diverted, Dawn had the opportunity to observe her surroundings.

It looked like a building of some sort. The walls were bare with chipped wallpaper; the floor made of cement. It was a spacey room, filled with chains and other means of torture.

A loud clang echoed off the walls, directing Dawn's attention back to scene. The Immortal was on his knees clutching his privates with a look of pain etched upon his face. Unable to bare it, he fell into unconsciousness.

"Dana!" Dawn waved her hands, trying to get Dana's attention. She was still thrashing about, the chains creaking against her strength.

"Dana, I need you to come back to me."

Slowly as if it was a dream, the dark-haired Slayer's eyes refocused.

"Little sister?" her voice was but a whisper in the huge room.

"Yes, Dane. It's me, Dawnie," Dawn replied, relief evident in her voice. "Hun, I need you to find a way out of these chains and unchain me too. We need to get out of here and warn Buffy."

Dana nodded in understanding. Struggling against the chains until finally they fell to the floor, she quickly made her way to Dawn, stepping over the slumped form of the Immortal. Within a couple of seconds, Dawn was unchained.

Rubbing her raw and cut wrists, Dawn winced as a cut reopened and blood spilt. A couple of drops hit the floor and a crackle of energy surged without the room.

"Huh!" Dawn muttered in fear. "I thought I wasn't the Key anymore! I shouldn't be able to open anymore portals."

The swirling emerald green portal grew until it was the size of a large UFO.

Dawn turned to Dana.

"I'm going to have to jump. Tell everyone I love him or her, Dana. Kick Immortal's ass for me. I love you, Dana." Dawn turned slightly, readying herself to jump.

"Little sister, NO!" cried Dana, grabbing Dawn's arm. "I go with little sister!"

"No, Dana," said Dawn, "You have to go back to Buffy and Andrew."

"Dawn's wrong, Slayer," a voice said from behind the two girls. "Surprise, you're both going!"

With a push, the two young women fell into the swirling green portal.

The portal was a swirl of colors. Black, green, and white, green, white, and black; the colors meshed together into a big blob. Suddenly, it was just black.

Dawn awoke to a blinding yellow light, and her head pounding. Groaning, she turned to her side and was met with… sand. Forcing her eyes to open, Dawn glared at the crunchy substance. The previous events came back with force and Dawn groaned again.

"Where the hell am I?" she muttered, wincing as ribs protested.

There was sand everywhere. It surrounded her, dirtied her hair and soiled her clothes. Shaking sand from her hair, Dawn viewed her surroundings. From the looks of it, Dawn was in a dessert, and so was Dana.

Slowly, Dawn moved over to Dana who was still out from the looks of it.

"Dana, wake up!" Dawn whispered, shaking the psychotic slayer gently.

Dana's eyes snapped open and she sprang from the ground. Dawn slowly stood as well.

"Immortal-guy?" Dana questioned her eyes unfocused. "You hurt little sister! So, I hurt you!"

With unsurprising speed, Dana's fist met Dawn's jaw. A sickening crunch sounded. Dawn fell to the floor with a plop.

"Dana, it's me!" Dawn cried, her jaw pulsating with pain. "It's Dawn. It's little sister!"

"Little sister?" Dana paused, kneeling down to stroke Dawn's stomach. "Buff-sister boyfriend hurt little sister."

Dawn nodded.

"I hurt little sister too!" Dana cried angrily, yanking at her dark hair

"Shh, Dana. It's okay, I'm okay!" Dawn tilted her head slightly showing a fast coloring bruise. "See, it's just a bruise!"

"Little sister not mad?" Dana sniffled.

"I'm not mad," Dawn agreed. "Besides, sweetie, your right hooks have gotten hell of a lot better."

Dana gave a watery grin and pointed down at the sand.

"Sand, everywhere." her eyebrow furrowed. "Not in Rome?"

"Yes, we're not in Rome," Dawn's eye searched for a sign of life. "I'd say we're in a desert somewhere."

"We need to get back to Rome to warn Buffy," said Dawn. "We should start walking."

So, they began walking North, or at least what Dawn thought was North. For hours, they trudged on in pain without water and with the clothes on their backs. They walked on as the sun beat down on their necks, burning their sensitive skin. They walked, and walked, and walked. The sun was low in the sky when they reached what looked like a camp.

At first, Dawn thought it was a mirage. That was found untrue as they drew closer, the camp and people became visible.

"Strangers!" Dana pointed out sharply.

Both women were about ten feet away from the others.

Dawn nodded weakly. Having no water really sucked.

"Who goes there?" one of the men asked.

He had black tattoos on his face and his hand rested on the hilt of the sword from his belt. With a clang, he drew the sword. The other men and woman drew their guns. The child remained unarmed except for what looked like a homemade slingshot.

Dana looked ready to pounce. Dawn lifted a reassuring hand to her shoulder.

"Please," Dawn said. "We mean no harm. We don't know how we got here. I mean, I have an idea, but we just want to go home."

"Americans?" the dark-haired woman spoke. " Rick, What are Americans doing in a desert near Hamunaptra?"

"I don't know, Evie." the guy named Rick responded, keeping an eye on the two girls. "What are you doing here, Americans?"

"Hey, you're American too!" Dawn paused. "Or, I think you are."

"She's got you there, O'Connell" the other guy with a gun responded.

"Look," Dawn cried impatiently. "We have no weapons or supplies. I think I broke a few ribs and we both are seriously dehydrated. Help us and we'll talk, please."

"Fair enough," the tattooed guy nodded. "Come with us."

Dawn and Dana followed.

Several hours later, once they both were bandaged and hydrated, Dawn started to talk.

"This is going to sound crazy, but we came here through a portal and we really need to get home." Dawn said in one breath.

"Woah, slow down." Rick said. "You say you got here from magic?"

Dawn nodded and began to explain.

"Dana and I are from Rome. We protect the world from evil. I was made from energy and put into human form when I was fourteen to be protected by my sister. A Hell goddess named Glorificus needed me to get home. My sister died and was resurrected. My sister's boyfriend just so happens to be evil, as we found out and he needs me the Key to take over the world. And, he wanted to use me to resurrect some Mummy to take over the world."

"Imhotep," Evie muttered.

"Yeah, so. We really need to get home. I don't suppose you have a cellphone on you?" answered Dawn.

"A cell-what?" the boy named Alex asked.

"A cellphone. You know, a mobile or cellular?" Dawn replied.

"Lady, I don't know what you're talking about. There is no such thing as a cellphone in Cairo or anywhere in the world for that matter." Jonathan said, taking a sip of good ol' Jack Daniels.

"Where the hell are we?"

"You're in Egypt. It's Tuesday July 15th 1930."

"1930? What the hell! It's not 1930, it's 2006!" Dawn cried in disbelief.

"It seems that when you fell through that portal. You were transported to the past to the last time Imhotep rose." Evie answered logically.

"Little sister and me go home, dark lady" Dana simply said.

"It looks like you're coming to Hamunaptra with us, lady. It's the only way you'll be able to get home. Imhotep's forces will be large and strong but hopefully you know how to wield a gun."

Her hope and fate lay in these strangers. Dawn wondered why Buffy's boyfriend had to be evil. It sucked being the Key. It sucked having to fight everyday for nothing. Dawn hated to be bitter but that was life. Dawn wanted to go home. As desperate as it sounded, Dawn wanted Sunnydale. She wanted her Mother to greet her at the door with a smile. She wanted Tara's funny-shape pancakes and Spike's stories. She wanted to be the Nibblet again. She wanted to be alive.

It looked like finding this Imhotep guy was the only way to get back to Rome. Off to Hamunaptra they go.

"What exactly are we doing?" Dawn asked.

"We're going to stop a bunch of Mummies from ending the world."


End file.
